Extraction of a private datum to authenticate an integrated circuit

• US 7,827,413 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Guette, Francois, Liardet, Pierre-Yvan, Wuidart, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIA, SYED
• Application Number:
  US10/473,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20040114765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,134 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/12 Card verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/127 in which both online and offline card verification can take place
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/5444 for electrical read out
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54473 for use after dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/57 Protection from inspection, reverse engineering or tampering
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3278 using physically unclonable functions [PUF]

Abstract

A method and a circuit for extracting a secret datum from an integrated circuit taking part in an authentication procedure that uses an external device that takes this secret datum into account, the secret datum being generated on request and made ephemeral.

Claims

1. A method for extracting a private datum from an integrated circuit taking part in an authentication procedure performed by an external device using the private datum, comprising steps of:

generating the private datum on request, using at least one electrical parameter obtained from a physical parameter network; and

making the private datum ephemeral, wherein upon each generation of the private datum, a lifetime of the private datum is initialized and the private datum is deleted from at least one first storage element containing the private datum, at the end of the lifetime, and wherein the physical parameter network is programmed, at least partially, by a binary word provided by a storage element and specific to the integrated circuit, wherein the physical parameter network comprises a plurality of electrical paths and the private datum comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each electrical path from the plurality of electrical paths provides a respective bit from the plurality of bits, wherein at least one electrical path from the plurality of electrical paths includes a delay element, and wherein the delay element provides a delay different from a delay provided by at least one another electrical path from the plurality of electrical paths.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the private datum generation is independent of any datum external to the integrated circuit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the private datum and the initialization of the lifetime are started by a same signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the lifetime of the private datum is variable.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, comprising means for implementing the method of claim 1.

5. A method for extracting a private datum from an integrated circuit taking part in an authentication procedure by means of an external device taking the private datum into account, comprising the steps of generating the private datum on request and making it ephemeral;

wherein the private datum is obtained at least partially from using at least one electrical parameter measured from a physical parameter network;

wherein the physical parameter network is programmable;

wherein the physical parameter network is programmed, at least partially, by a binary word provided by a storage element and specific to the integrated circuit; and

wherein the physical parameter network comprises a plurality of electrical paths and the private datum comprises a plurality of bits, and wherein each electrical path from the plurality of electrical paths provides a respective bit from the plurality of bits;

wherein the private datum is obtained at least from;

a first datum stored in the integrated circuit, and

a second datum generated on request by the physical parameter network; and

wherein the second datum is made ephemeral.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the physical parameter network is programmed, at least partially, by noise.

7. The method of claim 5, including controlling the physical parameter network also outside periods of generation of the private datum.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the number of bits of the first and second data are equal.

9. An integrated circuit, including:

means for generating, using at least one electrical parameter obtained from a physical parameter network, a private datum to be provided outside of the circuit to be used in an authentication procedure of the circuit;

a storing register for temporary storing said private datum;

a reset circuit for re-initialization of said storing register at the end of a lifetime of the private datum so as to render said private datum ephemeral, wherein the lifetime is initialized upon generation of the private datum; and

means for triggering the generation of said private datum upon a signal external to the integrated circuit,

wherein the physical parameter network comprises a plurality of electrical paths and the private datum comprises a plurality of bits, wherein each electrical path from the plurality of electrical paths provides a respective bit from the plurality of bits, and

wherein the private datum is obtained from a combination of at least;

a first datum stored in the integrated circuit, and

a second datum generated on request by the physical parameter network.

11. The circuit of claim 9, including means for generating the private datum, means for storing the first datum and means for storing the second datum.

12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the reset circuit is formed of one or several delay elements initialized by a control signal of generation of the private datum.

13. The circuit of claim 12, wherein the delay introduced by at least one delay element of the reset circuit is variable.